by James Dossan
Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera
One of the most fastidious and opinionated producers in Montalcino, the late Gianfranco Soldera crafted some of the regions most mesmerising wines. Outspoken and, some say, quite abrasive, controversy was never far away from Gianfranco. Most notably, after a disagreement with the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino (growers association) Gianfranco pulled his wines from the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG to simply label them Toscana IGT.
He helped pioneer Brunello’s “new wave,” founding his Case Basse estate in 1972. By the early 1980’s his intensely concentrated, yet highly aromatic, Brunellos were already turning heads; yet, production of just a few hundred bottles kept the lid on his reputation until the stakes were raised with his 1990’s.
Today, of course, along with Diego Molinari’s Cerbaiona, his wines are widely regarded as Brunello’s Holy Grail. While other producers’ wines live and die by ratings—with wide swings in demand from vintage to vintage—Soldera’s small production sells out quickly each year.
